U.S. patent number 11,394,456 [Application Number 17/644,332] was granted by the patent office on 2022-07-19 for arrangement determination apparatus, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program, and arrangement determination method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to HAPSMobile Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is HAPSMobile Inc.. Invention is credited to Akihiro Baba, Yuki Ota.
United States Patent |
11,394,456 |
Baba , et al. |
July 19, 2022 |
Arrangement determination apparatus, non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program, and
arrangement determination method
Abstract
An arrangement determination apparatus is provided comprising a
target region identifying unit configured to identify a target
region for providing service by a plurality of flying objects, the
plurality of flying objects forming a wireless communication area
on a ground by emitting a beam toward the ground, a flying object
number retrieving unit configured to retrieve a number of the
plurality of flying objects, a point retrieving unit configured to
retrieve a point for each of a plurality of meshes obtained by
dividing the target region, and an arrangement determination unit
configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects over the target region based on the number of flying
objects and the point for each of the plurality of meshes.
Inventors: |
Baba; Akihiro (Tokyo,
JP), Ota; Yuki (Tokyo, JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HAPSMobile Inc. |
Tokyo |
N/A |
JP |
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Assignee: |
HAPSMobile Inc. (Tokyo,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
1000006440806 |
Appl.
No.: |
17/644,332 |
Filed: |
December 14, 2021 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20220092867 A1 |
Mar 24, 2022 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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PCT/JP2020/003294 |
Jan 30, 2020 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jun 18, 2019 [JP] |
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JP2019-113179 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
84/06 (20130101); H04B 7/18504 (20130101); B64C
39/02 (20130101); B64C 2201/122 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04B
7/185 (20060101); B64C 39/02 (20060101); H04W
84/06 (20090101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2002211496 |
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Jul 2002 |
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JP |
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2005197871 |
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Jul 2005 |
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2006101294 |
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Apr 2006 |
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JP |
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2010187140 |
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Aug 2010 |
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JP |
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2017504863 |
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Feb 2017 |
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JP |
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2017504863 |
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Feb 2017 |
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JP |
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2018177135 |
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Nov 2018 |
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JP |
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2018177135 |
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Nov 2018 |
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JP |
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2019086902 |
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Jun 2019 |
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JP |
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2019086902 |
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Jun 2019 |
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JP |
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Other References
International Search Report and (ISA/237) Written Opinion of the
International Search Authority for International Patent Application
No. PCT/JP2020/003294, mailed by the Japan Patent Office dated Mar.
10, 2020. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Jain; Ankur
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An arrangement determination apparatus comprising: a target
region identifying unit configured to identify a target region for
providing service by a plurality of flying objects serving as a
stratospheric platform, the plurality of flying objects forming a
wireless communication area on a ground by emitting a beam toward
the ground while flying through the stratosphere; a flying object
number retrieving unit configured to retrieve a number of the
plurality of flying objects; a point retrieving unit configured to
retrieve a point for each of a plurality of meshes obtained by
dividing the target region; and an arrangement determination unit
configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects over the target region based on the number of flying
objects and the point for each of the plurality of meshes.
2. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 1,
comprising a point determining unit configured to determine a point
for each of the plurality of meshes.
3. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the point determining unit is configured to determine a
point for each of the plurality of meshes by service types provided
by the plurality of flying objects, and the point retrieving unit
is configured to retrieve a point for each of the plurality of
meshes corresponding to a service type provided by the plurality of
flying objects.
4. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein in a case where the service type is a service for providing
an automobile with wireless communication, the point determining
unit is configured to determine a point for each of the plurality
of meshes based on at least any of a number of roads, traffic
amount on a road, a number of IoT devices which communicate with an
automobile, and an average amount of communication by an automobile
in each of the plurality of the meshes.
5. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the point determining unit is configured to determine a
point for each of the plurality of meshes based on data including a
number of cars and population for each of the plurality of
meshes.
6. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein the point determining unit is configured to determine a
higher point for a mesh in which the number of cars is higher.
7. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein the point determining unit is configured to determine a
higher point for a mesh in which the population is larger.
8. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects such
that a total amount of points for the plurality of meshes included
in a wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of
flying objects becomes higher.
9. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects such
that a total amount of points for the plurality of meshes included
in a wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of
flying objects becomes higher.
10. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 9,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects such
that a total amount of the points for the plurality of meshes
included in the wireless communication area formed by each of the
plurality of flying objects becomes the highest, by using a genetic
algorithm.
11. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 10,
comprising a ratio retrieving unit configured to retrieve a ratio
of an area covered by the beam identified based on topography data
of the target region, among an area of a mesh for each of the
plurality of meshes, wherein the arrangement determination unit is
configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects such that a total amount obtained by adding the results of
multiplying a point for each of the plurality of meshes included in
the wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of
flying objects by the ratio for each of the plurality of meshes
becomes higher.
12. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 9,
comprising a ratio retrieving unit configured to retrieve a ratio
of an area covered by the beam identified based on topography data
of the target region, among an area of a mesh for each of the
plurality of meshes, wherein the arrangement determination unit is
configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects such that a total amount obtained by adding the results of
multiplying a point for each of the plurality of meshes included in
the wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of
flying objects by the ratio for each of the plurality of meshes
becomes higher.
13. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the plurality of flying objects includes a solar
panel, and is configured to perform flight control and wireless
communication by using electrical power generated by the solar
panel, and the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects over
the target region further based on a latitude of the plurality of
meshes.
14. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 13,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to exclude
from an arrangement of the flying objects an area in which an
amount of electric power generated by the solar panel of the flying
object is insufficient for providing service.
15. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects over
the target region further based on area information indicating a
no-fly area in which flight of the plurality of flying objects is
prohibited.
16. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 15,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects
excluding the no-fly area.
17. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects over
the target region further based on location information of a
gateway on a ground for establishing a feeder link with the
plurality of flying objects.
18. The arrangement determination apparatus according to claim 17,
wherein the arrangement determination unit is configured to
determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying objects
excluding an area in which no gateway exists within a communication
range of the flying objects.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored
thereon a program which causes a computer to function as: a target
region identifying unit configured to identify a target region for
providing service by a plurality of flying objects serving as a
stratospheric platform, the plurality of flying objects forming a
wireless communication area on a ground by emitting a beam toward
the ground while flying through the stratosphere; a flying object
number retrieving unit configured to retrieve a number of the
plurality of flying objects; a point retrieving unit configured to
retrieve a point for each of a plurality of meshes obtained by
dividing the target region; and an arrangement determination unit
configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects over the target region based on the number of flying
objects and the point for each of the plurality of meshes.
20. An arrangement determination method comprising: identifying a
target region for providing service by a plurality of flying
objects serving as a stratospheric platform, the plurality of
flying objects forming a wireless communication area on a ground by
emitting a beam toward the ground while flying through the
stratosphere; retrieving a number of the plurality of flying
objects; retrieving a point for each of a plurality of meshes
obtained by dividing the target region; and determining an
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects over the target
region based on the number of flying objects and the point for each
of the plurality of meshes.
Description
The contents of the following Japanese and PCT patent applications
are incorporated herein by reference: NO. 2019-113179 filed in JP
on Jun. 18, 2019 NO. PCT/JP2020/003294 filed in WO on Jan. 30,
2020
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an arrangement determination
apparatus, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having
stored thereon a program, and an arrangement determination
method.
2. Related Art
A flying object having an antenna which flies through the
stratosphere in order to provide a stratospheric platform has been
known (see Patent document 1, for example).
RELATED ART LITERATURE
Patent Document
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
2002-211496
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
It is desirable to provide a technology to assist in appropriate
arrangement of a plurality of flying objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates one example of an arrangement
determined by the arrangement designing system 100.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates one example of a flying object
500.
FIG. 3 schematically illustrates one example of a functional
configuration of the arrangement designing system 100.
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates one example of a process flow
performed by the arrangement determination apparatus 300.
FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a condition list 710.
FIG. 6 schematically illustrates one example of a data list
720.
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates one example of a hardware
configuration of a computer 1200 which functions as an arrangement
determination apparatus 300.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through
embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not
limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all
combinations of the features described in the embodiments
necessarily have to be essential to solving means of the
invention.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates one example of an arrangement
determined by the arrangement designing system 100. The arrangement
designing system 100 according to the present embodiment determines
an arrangement of a plurality of flying objects 500 forming a
wireless communication area 502 on the ground by emitting a beam
toward the ground. The flying object 500 functions as a
stratospheric platform, for example.
For example, in a case where a plurality of flying objects 500 are
to be arranged at various locations in Japan, it is possible to
cover the entire region in Japan if a sufficient number of flying
objects can be secured. However, for a variety of reasons, there
are cases where it is not possible to secure a sufficient number of
flying objects. In such a situation, it is desirable to be able to
determine and arrangement of a plurality of flying objects 500 such
that a limited number of flying objects are optimally arranged
based on a business plan or the like.
The arrangement designing system 100 according to the present
embodiment identifies the target region for providing service by
the plurality of flying objects 500, and determines an arrangement
of the plurality of flying objects 500 over the target region based
on the number of flying objects 500 and a point for each of the
plurality of of meshes 600 obtained by dividing the target region.
The size of the mesh 600 may be of any size, such as 1 km.sup.2 for
example.
The arrangement designing system 100 calculates, in a case where a
plurality of flying objects 500 are arranged, for example, a total
point obtained by adding the points of the meshes 600 included in a
area which will be covered by the wireless communication area 502
of each of the plurality of flying objects 500. The arrangement
designing system 100 calculates a total points for each of the
arrangement of a plurality of patterns, and determines, as an
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500, the arrangement
having the highest total point, for example.
The arrangement designing system 100 presents, for example, the
determined arrangement to a service provider who is to provide
service by the plurality of flying objects 500. The service
provider may check the presented arrangement and consider the
arrangement. In addition, the arrangement designing system 100 may
move the plurality of flying objects 500 into the determined
arrangement.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates one example of the flying object
500. The flying object 500 includes a main wing portion 510, a
propeller 512, a skid 514, a solar panel 516, a flap 518, a body
portion 520, an antenna 532, and an antenna 534.
The electrical power generated by the solar panel 516 is stored in
a battery arranged on at least any of the main wing portion 510 and
the body portion 520. The electrical power of the battery is
supplied to the propeller 512, the flap 518, the body portion 520,
the antenna 532, and the antenna 534.
The body portion 520 includes a flight control apparatus and a
wireless communication apparatus. The flight control apparatus
controls flight of the flying object 500. The flight control
apparatus controls flight of the flying object 500 by rotating the
propeller 512 or changing the angle of the flap 518, for
example.
The wireless communication apparatus performs wireless
communication using the antenna 532 and the antenna 534. The
antenna 532 may be an antenna for a feeder link. The antenna 534
may be an antenna for a service link.
The wireless communication apparatus establishes a feeder link with
a gateway 12 by emitting a beam toward the gateway 12 on the ground
by using the antenna 532. In addition, the wireless communication
apparatus forms a wireless communication area 502 on the ground by
emitting a beam 536 toward the ground by using the antenna 534 to
provide the user terminal 30 within the wireless communication area
502 with wireless communication service.
The user terminal 30 may be any terminal as long as it is a
communication terminal that is capable of communication with the
flying object 500. For example, the user terminal 30 is mobile
phone such as a smart phone. The user terminal 30 may also be a
tablet terminal, a PC (Personal Computer) and the like. The user
terminal 30 may also be a communication terminal equipped on a
vehicle such as an automobile or an unmanned aircraft such as a
drone. In addition, the user terminal 30 may be a so-called IoT
(Internet of Thing) device. The user terminal 30 may include all
things corresponding to so-called IoE (Internet of Everything).
The flying object 500 relays communication between, for example,
the user terminal 30 and a network 10 on the ground to provide the
user terminal 30 with wireless communication service. The network
10 may include a core network provided by a telecommunication
carrier. The core network may comply with any mobile communication
system, and for example, complies with a 3G (3rd Generation)
communication system, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication
system, a 4G (4th Generation) communication system, and a 5G (5th
Generation) communication system and subsequent mobile
communication systems, and the like. The network 10 may include the
Internet.
For example, the flying object 500 establishes a service link with
the gateway 12 that is capable of communication by the antenna 532,
among the gateways 12 arranged at each location on the ground, and
communicates with the network 10 on the ground via the gateway 12.
In addition, the flying object 500 communicates with the network 10
via a communication satellite 80, for example. In this case, the
flying object 500 includes an antenna for communicating with the
communication satellite 80.
The flying object 500 transmits the data received from the user
terminal 30 within the wireless communication area 502, for
example, to the network 10. In addition, in a case where the flying
object 500 received data addressed to the user terminal 30 within
the wireless communication area 502 via the network 10, for
example, it transmits said data to the user terminal 30.
The flying object 500 covers the target area 40 by the wireless
communication area 502 while flying along a circular flight path in
a turning manner in the air over the target area 40 above the
ground set as the target to be covered by the wireless
communication area 502, for example. The flight path may be a
precise circle, an oval, and the like, as well as in the figure of
eight or the like. The flying object 500 flying in the air over a
ground area in a turning manner may be described as fixed point
flight.
The arrangement designing system 100 may communicate with the
flight control apparatus of the flying object 500 via a CMS
(Constellation Management System) 22 which manages flight of the
plurality of flying objects 500. The CMS 22 and the flying object
500 may communicate via the network 10 and the communication
satellite 80. Note that, the CMS 22 and the flying object 500 may
communicate via the network 10 and the gateway 12.
The arrangement designing system 100 may communicate with the
wireless communication apparatus of the flying object 500 via an
EMS (Element Management System)/OSS (Operation Support System) 24
which manages wireless communication by the wireless communication
apparatuses of the plurality of flying objects 500. The EMS/OSS 24
and the flying object 500 may communicate via the network 10 and
the gateway 12. Note that, the EMS/OSS 24 and the flying object 500
may communicate via the network 10 and the communication satellite
80.
FIG. 3 schematically illustrates one example of a functional
configuration of the arrangement designing system 100. The
arrangement designing system 100 includes a database 200, an
arrangement determination apparatus 300, and a communication
apparatus 400.
The database 200 stores various types of data. The database 200
includes an IoTPFDB (IoT PlatForm Database) 210, OtherDB 220, and a
SIM result DB 230.
The IoTPFDB 210 stores information on vehicles, drones, IoT devices
and the like at each location. It is desirable that the IoTPFDB 210
stores information in real-time as much as possible.
The IoTPFDB 210 receives, for example, information on the vehicles
from a vehicle management system that manages the state of vehicles
at each location, as required. The IoTPFDB 210 stores the number of
vehicles for each of the meshes 600, for example, based on the
received information on the vehicles. The IoTPFDB 210 may store an
average number of vehicles for each of the meshes for each
predetermined period, such as each month.
The IoTPFDB 210 receives information on drones, for example, from a
drone management system that manages the state of drones at each
location, as required. The IoTPFDB 210 stores the number of drones
for each of the meshes 600, for example, based on the received
information on the drones. The IoTPFDB 210 may store an average
number of drones for each of the meshes for each predetermined
period, such as each month.
The IoTPFDB 210 receives information on IoT devices, for example,
from an IoT device management system that manages the state of IoT
devices at each location, as required. The IoTPFDB 210 stores the
number of IoT devices for each of the meshes 600, for example,
based on the received information on the IoT devices. The IoTPFDB
210 may store an average number of IoT devices for each of the
meshes for each predetermined period, such as each month.
The OtherDB 220 stores population at each location, coverage state
over the ground by a radio base station on the ground,
communication state by the user terminal 30 and the like. The
communication state by the user terminal 30 at each location
includes, for example, an average amount of communication or the
like at each location for each predetermined period, such as each
month. The OtherDB 220 may store the population for each of the
meshes 600. The OtherDB 220 may store the coverage state for each
of the meshes 600. The OtherDB 220 may store the average amount of
communication by the user terminal 30 for each of the meshes
600.
The SIM result DB 230 stores a simulation result. The SIM result DB
230 stores a result of simulating the ratio of an area covered by
the beam 536 among the area of the mesh 600, for each of the meshes
600 included in the wireless communication area 502 in a case where
the flying object 500 is arranged at a location, based on
topography data, for example. For example, in a case where there is
a mountain in the mesh 600, a portion which is included in the
shadow of a mountain will not be covered by the beam 536, resulting
in a lower ratio. Such a simulation is performed, for example, by a
telecommunication carrier or the like. The SIM result DB 230
retrieves and stores the result of simulation performed by the
telecommunication carrier or the like, for example.
The arrangement determination apparatus 300 includes a condition
setting unit 310, a point retrieving unit 320, a point determining
unit 322, a ratio retrieving unit 330, and an arrangement
determination unit 340. The arrangement determination apparatus 300
does not necessarily include all of these.
The condition setting unit 310 sets various types of conditions.
The condition setting unit 310 includes a target region identifying
unit 311, a flying object number retrieving unit 312, a service
identifying unit 313, and a constraint condition identifying unit
314.
The target region identifying unit 311 identifies a target region
for providing service by the plurality of flying objects 500. The
target region identifying unit 311 identifies the target region
according to designation by the service provider, for example. The
service provider designates the entire region in Japan in a case
where the target for providing service by the plurality of flying
objects 500 is Japan, and designates, for example, Kanto region in
a case where the target is Kanto region. The target region is not
limited to a country, a region or the like, and may be any
zone.
The flying object number retrieving unit 312 retrieves the number
of the plurality of flying objects 500 used for providing the
service. The flying object number retrieving unit 312 retrieves the
number of flying objects according to the designation by the
service provider, for example. The service provider designates the
number of flying objects 500 to be used for the service, among the
flying objects 500 it possesses, for example.
The service identifying unit 313 identifies the service provided by
the plurality of flying objects 500. The service identifying unit
313 identifies the service type, for example. In addition, the
service identifying unit 313 identifies the condition in the area
of service, for example. The service identifying unit 313 may
identify the service according to the designation by the service
provider. In a case where IoT service for connected cars is
targeted, for example, the service provider designates service by
an IoT device as the service type, and designates a road as the
area.
The constraint condition identifying unit 314 identifies a
constraint condition associated with the service. Examples of a
constraint condition include whether a no-fly area is considered,
whether the location of the gateway 12 is considered, whether the
latitude is considered, whether communication capacity is
considered, or the like.
In a case where a no-fly area is identified as the constraint
condition, the no-fly area will be excluded from the arrangement of
the flying objects 500. In a case where the location of the gateway
12 is identified as the constraint condition, the area in which no
gateway 12 exists within a communication range will be excluded
from the arrangement of the flying objects 500. In a case where
latitude is identified as the constraint condition, an area in
which the amount of electric power generated by the solar panel 516
of the flying object 500 is insufficient for providing service will
be excluded from the arrangement of the flying objects 500.
In a case where communication capacity is identified as the
constraint condition, the communication capacity providable by the
flying object 500 and the communication capacity required at each
location will be considered. For example, when the total value
obtained by adding the communication capacity required for each of
the meshes 600 in the wireless communication area 502 in a case
where the flying object 500 is arranged at a location exceeds the
communication capacity providable by the flying object 500, the
arrangement will be excluded, or an arrangement will be considered
such that said region is covered by a plurality of flying objects
500.
The point retrieving unit 320 retrieves the points of the plurality
of meshes 600 within the target region identified by the target
region identifying unit 311. The point retrieving unit 320 stores
in advance point data in which the point of each of the plurality
of meshes 600 determined based on various types of data in the
database 200 is registered, for example, and retrieves the point of
the mesh 600 corresponding to the target region from the point
data. The point of each of the plurality of meshes 600 may be
determined, for example, by an administrator of the arrangement
designing system 100, a service provider, or the like.
The point determining unit 322 determines a point for each of the
plurality of meshes 600. The point determining unit 322 may
determine the point for each of the plurality of meshes 600 by
service types. In a case where the service type is a service for
providing an automobile with wireless communication, for example,
the point determining unit 322 determines the point for each of the
plurality of meshes 600 based on at least any of a number of roads,
traffic amount on a road, a number of IoT devices which communicate
with an automobile, and an average amount of communication by an
automobile in each of the plurality of the meshes. The point
determined by the point determining unit 322 may be registered in
the point data stored by the point retrieving unit 320. The point
retrieving unit 320 may retrieve the point for each of the
plurality of meshes 600 corresponding to the service type
identified by the service identifying unit 313.
The ratio retrieving unit 330 retrieves the ratio of the area
covered by the beam 536, among the area of the mesh 600 for each of
the plurality of meshes 600. The ratio retrieving unit 330 may
retrieve said ratio from the SIM result DB 230.
The arrangement determination unit 340 determines the arrangement
of the plurality of flying objects 500. The arrangement
determination unit 340 may determine the arrangement of the
plurality of flying objects 500 over the target region identified
by the target region identifying unit 311 based on the number of
flying objects retrieved by the flying object number retrieving
unit 312 and the points retrieved by the point retrieving unit
320.
The arrangement determination unit 340 may determine the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 such that the
total amount of points for the plurality of meshes 600 included in
the wireless communication area 502 formed by each of the plurality
of flying objects 500 becomes higher. The arrangement determination
unit 340 determines the arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects 500 such that the total amount of the points for the
plurality of meshes 600 included in the wireless communication area
502 formed by each of the plurality of flying objects 500 become
the highest, by using genetic algorithm, for example.
The arrangement determination unit 340 may determine the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 based on the
ratio retrieved by the ratio retrieving unit 330. The arrangement
determination unit 340 determines the arrangement of the plurality
of flying objects 500 such that, for example, the total amount
obtained by adding the results of multiplying a point for each of
the plurality of meshes 600 included in the wireless communication
area 502 formed by each of the plurality of flying objects 500 by
the ratio for each of the plurality of meshes 600 becomes
higher.
The arrangement determination unit 340 may calculate the total
point in a case where the output intensity of the beam 536 of the
plurality of flying objects 500 is changed variously. The
arrangement determination unit 340 may then determine the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 and the output
intensity of a beam 536 of each of the plurality of flying objects
500.
The arrangement determination unit 340 may determine the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 further based on
the constraint condition identified by the constraint condition
identifying unit 314. The arrangement determination unit 340
determines the arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500
further based on the latitude of the plurality of meshes 600, for
example. As a specific example, the arrangement determination unit
340 excludes, from the arrangement of the flying objects 500, an
area in which the amount of electric power generated by the solar
panel 516 of the flying object 500 is insufficient for providing
service.
In addition, the arrangement determination unit 340 determines the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 further based on
a no-fly area, for example. As a specific example, the arrangement
determination unit 340 determines the arrangement of the plurality
of flying objects 500 excluding the no-fly area.
In addition, the arrangement determination unit 340 determines the
arrangement of the plurality of flying objects 500 further based on
the location of the gateway 12, for example. As a specific example,
the arrangement determination unit 340 determines the arrangement
of the plurality of flying objects 500 excluding an area in which
no gateway 12 exists within a communication range of the flying
object 500.
The communication apparatus 400 includes a CMS communication unit
410 and a EMS communication unit 420. The CMS communication unit
410 communicates with the CMS 22. The CMS communication unit 410
may transmit, to the CMS 22, an instruction to move the plurality
of flying objects 500 into the arrangement determined by the
arrangement determination unit 340. The CMS 22 may control the
location of the plurality of flying objects 500 according to the
received instruction.
The EMS communication unit 420 communicates with the EMS/OSS 24. In
a case where the output intensity of the beam 536 is determined by
the arrangement determination unit 340, the EMS communication unit
420 may transmit, to the EMS/OSS 24, an instruction to turn set the
output intensity of the beam 536 of each of the plurality of flying
objects 500 to the determined output intensity. The EMS/OSS 24 may
control the output intensity of the beam 536 of the plurality of
flying objects 500 according to the received instruction.
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates one example of a process flow
performed by the arrangement determination apparatus 300. Here, a
process flow up to determination of the arrangement of a plurality
of flying objects 500 will be discussed.
At step (the steps may be abbreviated as S) 102, the target region
identifying unit 311 identifies the target region. At S104, the
flying object number retrieving unit 312 retrieves the number of
flying objects. At S106, the service identifying unit 313
identifies the service.
At S108, the point retrieving unit 320 retrieves a point for each
of the plurality of meshes 600 included in the target region
identified at S102. At S110, flying objects 500 of the number
retrieved at S104 are virtually arranged over the target region. At
S112, the arrangement determination unit 340 calculates the total
points obtained by adding the points for the meshes 600 included in
the wireless communication area 502 of the plurality of flying
objects 500 virtually arranged. The arrangement determination unit
340 may calculate the total points obtained by applying the ratio
of an area covered by the beam 536 among the area of the mesh 600,
which is retrieved by the ratio retrieving unit 330. At S114, the
arrangement determination unit 340 stores the total points
calculated at S112.
At S116, the arrangement determination unit 340 judges whether the
calculation of the total points for all arrangement pattern have
ended. In a case where a constraint condition is identified by the
constraint condition identifying unit 314, the arrangement
determination unit 340 may exclude an arrangement pattern
corresponding to the constraint based on the constraint conditions,
among the arrangement patterns. In a case where it is judged that
the calculation has not ended, the process returns to S110, and a
plurality of flying objects 500 is virtually arranged according to
the next arrangement pattern.
In a case where it is judged that the calculation has ended, the
process proceeds to S118. At S118, the arrangement determination
unit 340 determines the arrangement of the plurality of flying
objects 500 based on the total points stored for each of the
plurality of arrangement patterns. Then the processing is
ended.
FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a condition list 710. The service
provider designates a condition by selecting, from the condition
list 710, for example, a condition corresponding to the service to
be provided. In a case where IoT service for connected cars is to
be provided, for example, the service provision may designate "IoT"
as the service, "road" and "MNO cover" as the area, "latitude",
"communication capacity", "no-fly area", and "gateway installation
location" as the condition. The arrangement determination apparatus
300 may retrieve the condition designate by the condition list
710.
FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a data list 720 for each mesh
600. Various types of data such as the number of cars, population,
or the like for each mesh ID is registered in the data list 720.
Points determined based on the various types of data for each mesh
is registered in the data list 720. In the data list 720
illustrated in FIG. 6, a higher point may be registered for a mesh
600 including more cars, for example. In addition, a higher point
may be registered for a mesh 600 having a larger population. Points
generated by the point determining unit 322 may be registered in
the data list 720.
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates one example of a hardware
configuration of a computer 1200 which functions as an arrangement
determination apparatus 300. A program that is installed in the
computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or
more "units" in an apparatus of the embodiment of the present
invention, or cause the computer 1200 to execute operations
associated with the apparatus of the embodiment of the present
invention or the one or more "units" thereof, and/or cause the
computer 1200 to execute processes of the embodiment of the present
invention or steps thereof. Such program may be executed by a CPU
1212 so as to cause the computer 1200 to execute certain operations
associated with some or all of the blocks of flowcharts and block
diagrams described herein.
The computer 1200 in accordance with the present embodiment
includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216,
which are mutually connected by a host controller 1210. The
computer 1200 also includes input/output units such as a
communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive
1226 and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host
controller 1210 via an input/output controller 1220. The DVD drive
1226 may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, and the like. The
storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive,
and the like. The computer 1200 also includes legacy input/output
units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the
input/output controller 1220 via an input/output chip 1240.
The CPU 1212 is configured to operate according to programs stored
in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit.
The graphics controller 1216 is configured to acquire image data
generated by the CPU 1212 on a frame buffer or the like provided in
the RAM 1214 or in itself, and to cause the image data to be
displayed on a display device 1218.
The communication interface 1222 is configured to communicate with
other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 is
configured to store programs and data used by the CPU 1212 within
the computer 1200. The DVD drive 1226 is configured to read the
programs or the data from the DVD-ROM 1227 or the like, and to
provide the storage device 1224 with the programs or the data. The
IC card drive is configured to read programs and data from an IC
card, and/or to write programs and data into the IC card.
The ROM 1230 is configured to store therein a boot program or the
like that is executed by the computer 1200 at the time of
activation, and/or a program depending on the hardware of the
computer 1200. The input/output chip 1240 may also be configured to
connect various input/output units to the input/output controller
1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard
port, a mouse port and the like.
A program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as
a DVD-ROM 1227 or an IC card. The program is read from the
computer-readable storage medium, is installed into the storage
device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of
computer-readable storage medium, and is executed by the CPU 1212.
The information processing described in these programs is read into
the computer 1200, resulting in cooperation between a program and
the above-mentioned various types of hardware resources. An
apparatus or method may be constituted by realizing the operation
or processing of information in accordance with the usage of the
computer 1200.
For example, when communication is performed between the computer
1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a
communication program loaded onto the RAM 1214 to instruct
communication processing to the communication interface 1222, based
on the processing described in the communication program. The
communication interface 1222, under control of the CPU 1212, reads
transmission data stored on a transmission buffer region provided
in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device
1224, the DVD-ROM 1227, or the IC card, and transmits the read
transmission data to a network or writes reception data received
from a network to a reception buffer region or the like provided on
the recording medium.
In addition, the CPU 1212 may be configured to cause all or a
necessary portion of a file or a database, which has been stored in
an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the
DVD drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), the IC card and the like, to be read
into the RAM 1214, thereby executing various types of processing on
the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may be configured to then
write back the processed data to the external recording medium.
Various types of information, such as various types of programs,
data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium
to undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may also be
configured to execute various types of processing on the data read
from the RAM 1214, which includes various types of operations,
processing of information, condition judging, conditional
branching, unconditional branching, search/replacement of
information and the like described in the present disclosure and
designated by an instruction sequence of programs, and to write the
result back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also be configured to
search for information in a file, a database, etc. in the recording
medium. For example, when a plurality of entries, each having an
attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute
value of a second attribute, is stored in the recording medium, the
CPU 1212 may search for an entry matching the condition whose
attribute value of the first attribute is designated, from the
plurality of entries, and read the attribute value of the second
attribute stored in the entry, thereby obtaining the attribute
value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute
satisfying the predetermined condition.
The above-described program or software modules may be stored in
the computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200.
In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM
provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication
network or the Internet can be used as the computer-readable
storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200
via the network.
In the present embodiment, blocks of the flowcharts and the block
diagrams may represent steps of processes in which operations are
executed or sections of apparatuses responsible for performing
operations. Certain steps and "units" may be implemented by
dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry supplied with
computer-readable instructions stored on computer-readable storage
media, and/or processors supplied with computer-readable
instructions stored on computer-readable storage media. Dedicated
circuitry may include digital and/or analog hardware circuits and
may include integrated circuits (IC) and/or discrete circuits.
Programmable circuitry may include, for example, reconfigurable
hardware circuits comprising logical AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and
other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory
elements, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA),
programmable logic arrays (PLA), etc.
Computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device
that can store instructions for execution by a suitable device,
such that the computer-readable storage medium having instructions
stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including
instructions which can be performed to create means for performing
operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples
of a computer-readable storage medium may include an electronic
storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage
medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage
medium, etc. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage
medium may include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a
diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only
memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or
Flash memory), an electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact
disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a
BLU-RAY(registered trademark) disc, a memory stick, an integrated
circuit card, etc.
Computer-readable instructions may include any of assembler
instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions,
machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode,
firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or
object code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, JAVA (registered trademark), C++, etc. and
conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages.
Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor of a
general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other
programmable data processing apparatus, or to programmable
circuitry, locally or via a local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN) such as the Internet, etc. so that the processor of
the general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other
programmable data processing apparatus, or the programmable
circuitry performs the computer-readable instructions to create
means for performing operations specified in the flowcharts or
block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors,
processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors,
controllers, microcontrollers, etc.
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described,
the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the above
described embodiments. It is apparent to persons skilled in the art
that various alterations and improvements can be added to the
above-described embodiments. It is also apparent from the scope of
the claims that the embodiments added with such alterations or
improvements can be included in the technical scope of the
invention.
The operations, procedures, steps, and stages of each process
performed by an apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the
claims, embodiments, or figures can be performed in any order as
long as the order is not indicated by "prior to," "before," or the
like and as long as the output from a previous process is not used
in a later process. Even if the process flow is described using
phrases such as "first" or "next" in the claims, embodiments, or
figures, it does not necessarily mean that the process must be
performed in this order.
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES
10: network, 12: gateway, 30: user terminal, 80: communication
satellite, 100: arrangement designing system, 200: database, 210:
IoTPFDB, 220: OtherDB, 230: SIM result DB, 300: arrangement
determination apparatus, 310: condition setting unit, 311: target
region identifying unit, 312: flying object number retrieving unit,
313: service identifying unit, 314: constraint condition
identifying unit, 320: point retrieving unit, 322: point
determining unit, 330: ratio retrieving unit, 340: arrangement
determination unit, 400: communication apparatus, 410: CMS
communication unit, 420: EMS communication unit, 500: flying
object, 502: wireless communication area, 510 main wing portion,
512: propeller, 514: skid, 516: solar panel, 518: flap, 520: body
portion, 600: mesh, 710: condition list, 720: data list, 1200:
computer, 1210: host controller, 1212: CPU, 1214: RAM, 1216:
graphics controller, 1218: display device, 1220: input/output
controller, 1222: communication interface, 1224: storage device,
1226: DVD drive, 1227: DVD-ROM, 1230: ROM, 1240: input/output
chip
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